Baker’s Breakout Comes Right When UK Needs It
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jemarl Baker Jr.’s afternoon – somewhat like his team’s – got off to an inauspicious start.
Within 18 seconds of checking in for the first time, Baker turned the ball over and missed a rebound opportunity. John Calipari wasted no time bringing him back to the bench.
If you thought that would be the last you’d hear from Baker, you were dead wrong.
“I’ve been working too hard to let a turnover or something like that get me down,” Baker said. “And it was at the start of the game, so I just wanted to come in and stay ready and know I had to defend and do whatever the team needed.”
When Baker checked back in, he was certainly ready. Then, all he did was deliver the best game of his Kentucky career when the Wildcats needed it most. Baker played 18 quality minutes in UK’s second-round victory over Wofford on Saturday, helping the Cats withstand the absence of PJ Washington and overcome Keldon Johnson’s foul trouble.
“Whoever comes in, we just know we have to play hard and do what we do for the team,” Baker said. “I just wanted to attack and make an impact as soon as I got in the game and whenever I could. I just wanted to make an impact defensively and just get people the ball offensively stay aggressive the whole time.”
Baker was a key cog in a defensive effort that held a prolific outside shooting team in Wofford to its second-fewest points of the season and 37.5-percent shooting. He also chipped in a career-high eight points on an afternoon when scoring was hard to come by in a 62-56 win.
“Jemarl has been a guy that’s been at practice,” Hagans said. “He’s been ready to get his chance. His jersey number got called today. He came in and gave us some big-time minutes not only in this game, but last game he went in there as well.”
Indeed, Baker was solid in a carrer-high 24 minutes of action in UK’s first-round win over Abilene Christian, but regular minutes have been tough to come by for the redshirt sophomore. Baker, in spite of the fact that games in which he played single-digit minutes piled up faster than he would have liked, stayed engaged.
“It’s for sure hard, but I have a great supporting cast around me,” Baker said. “My family and my teammates just helping me, just keeping me up and just continuing to work hard.”
Along the way, UK’s coaching staff has never stopped challenging Baker to improve since his return from an injury that kept him out of action for the entirety of the 2017-18 season and the first month of this season.
“I said it after the game, we coach every kid like they’re a starter,” John Calipari said. “That’s how they’re trained, every one of these kids. And I keep saying, we don’t know who’s going to be a star. What he did today defensively—he made a basket or two and we needed them. What he did defensively meant he was prepared for this moment.”
After Baker’s moment came on the floor, he had another one in the postgame locker room. His teammates, understanding the patience and hard work it took to make this performance happen, greeted him gleefully.
“Very talented and he works hard,” Reid Travis said. “Great guy. I think that’s the biggest thing that we’re proud of. He always seems to be in the right spot as far as getting loose balls and talking on defense.
“He just does the little things right and never complains, always works hard. You respect a guy that comes to work every day, does what he has to do and when he gets the opportunity he’s able to take advantage of it. We’re just really proud of him and happy for the success that he’s been able to have.”
Baker appreciated the love and undoubtedly took a moment to soak it in, but he’s still more interested in talking about the team’s success than his own individual play.
“It feels really good,” Baker said. “It feels good, but I’m more glad that we’re going to the Sweet 16. I’m more glad with the win.”
The win sends UK on to the next round, where the Cats will face the winner of third-seeded Houston and No. 11 Ohio State. Experience over the last two seasons has taught Baker nothing is ever guaranteed, but it seems likely he’ll have another chance like Saturday. If and when that happens, he’ll be ready.
“You never really know,” Baker said. “I just wanted to continue to play hard and I know I’m capable of having a great game every game. I just want to continue to get better. I don’t want to stop here.”
